Mary Collett - Bella’s Leap

Mary Collett - Bella’s Leap Medium: Etched lino print over spray paint Dimensions: 70cm x 55cm Mary Collett is a Bristol-based printmaker who specialises in lino prints of animals and birds. She is particularly fond of dogs and has a labrador/staffie cross called Bella. Her work has been exhibited in various galleries around Bristol including Centrespace, Spike Island, Room 212 and the Royal West of England Academy. Her work has been shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and has been featured in several books about printmakers. Mary’s work was exhibited in the University of Bristol’s ‘Tinsel Prints’ exhibition and one of her prints is now part of the Theatre Department’s permanent collection. She is also a regular exhibitor with the North Bristol Artists on their trail each year. Mary uses special cutting tools to carve her designs into lino plates – some prints are made using up to four different plates for different colours. On larger pieces she etches the lino using caustic soda (as in ‘Bella’s Leap’), which gives a more painterly effect. She then rolls the ink onto the plates and prints them onto locally-made Somerset paper using an etching press. Mary hand prints all her work in her own studio and where possible likes to make each print unique by incorporating original background material such as old book pages, antique maps, banknotes and gold leaf into the print.